Colleges game design

Two hundred gaming fans crowded into the Sony Online Entertainment panel at the San Diego Comic-Con last summer to see Luke Skywalker himself—Mark Hamill. What they didn’t know was that the panel included someone who had truly harnessed the force of outer space—Sony executive and former space engineer John Blakely. Blakely was there to unveil DC Universe Online, which goes on sale this month. The game—the PlayStation 3’s first massively multiplayer online role-playing game ("MMORPG" in gaming parlance)—allows players to create their own avatars to match wits with Superman, Batman, and other characters from DC Comics. (Hamill was on the panel as the voice of the Joker.) DC Universe required a design that could imbue its digital images with the laws of physics for hundreds of thousands of players. That, in turn, required servers that could handle 10 times more computations per second than Sony’s most technically advanced MMORPG, Everquest II. … [Read more...] about Game Design: Sometimes It Is Rocket Science

The ESA has invited universities and colleges with game design programs to select one game developed by their students to represent their school. Finalists from the competition will then be included in a showcase at E3 2013.“The collegiate game competition is an important step for the ESA in encouraging and rewarding students pursuing careers in video game development,” said ESA CEO Mike Gallagher, “Our learning institutions house so much innovation and talent that will shape the future of our industry and ESA intends to honor student achievement and provide a deserved spotlight at E3.”The ESA is under increased pressure in 2013 to represent the video game industry as a positive force in young people’s lives. Following the spate of shootings in 2012 that culminated with the massacre in Sandy Hook, Washington has renewed its scrutinizing of the video game industry, particularly the effects of violent video games on children. Following the introduction of … [Read more...] about The group that hosts E3 is heading back to school with the E3 College Game Competition

In the tech industry, there are few careers with a cool factor equal to the title "game developer." For a whole host of gamers, making a living out of creating video games is akin to finding the holy grail, winning the lottery or becoming a renowned actor or musician.For their legions of fans, the best game designers are nothing short of rock stars. While very few attain the personal success and following of someone like Will Wright, creator of "The Sims" and "Spore," the career offers opportunities to help create something that could possibly be played by millions of people.However, just because a person enjoys playing video games does not mean that game design would be a good career fit."Thinking that 'Hey, I like playing games, so maybe I'd like making them' is sort of like saying, 'Hey, I really like taking baths, maybe I'd like to be a plumber. You might want to be a plumber, but it will be for very different reasons that you like to take a bath," Jesse Schell, game designer and … [Read more...] about So You Want to Be a Game Designer, Part 1

Part 1 of this two-part series examined what it takes to be a professional game designer. Part two takes a look at other career paths in game creation and how to start.It takes a village to make a video game. In the beginning, it is the game designer who develops the concept for the game, and while that designer may receive the lion's share of the glory, a video game would not be come to fruition without the skills and talents of scriptwriters, animator, programmers, sound engineers, musical composers, voiceover artists, producers, etc.For Jesse Schell, assistant professor of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University, his path into the world of game development began at an early age."It was something I had always been interested in. I started making games when I was 12. It was easier back then because computers couldn't do as many interesting things, and every computer came with a programming language -- not like today," he told TechNewsWorld.Making games remained more of … [Read more...] about So You Want to Be a Game Designer, Part 2

Back in May 2013, when the next-gen Xbox One gaming console was revealed to the world, the sports-loving Internet exploded over the news that Microsoft had entered into a deal with the NFL that would bring pro football to the new hardware in the 2013/2014 season and beyond. Little more than that was revealed at the time, and before we knew it a whole summer’s worth of games-focused trade shows came and went with barely a word on the subject.Now that pre-season football is winding down and EA Sports’ yearly Madden NFL game is out now, gamers are thinking football. With the season’s first matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens set for this Thursday, there’s no better time for Microsoft to give football-lovers a peek at what’s to come on the Xbox One and show us what that NFL partnership entails.Cable subscribers enjoy the added benefit of streaming content from ESPN and ESPN2 in the app.At long last, an official NFL Network app is coming … [Read more...] about Xbox One rewards cord keepers with live NFL games

Civilization creator Sid Meier returned to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, in early May to help future game makers learn the ins and outs of game development. Along with some well-known industry names like Brian Reynolds from Zynga, Nick Laing from EA and Matt Gilgenbach from Binary Creativity, the man behind one of the most successful real-time strategy (RTS) games of all time spent two weeks teaching students how to make games. Meier talks about his love of game development and looks to the future of games in this exclusive interview. How did the Sid Meier Boot Camp at the University of Michigan come about? It started with my son becoming a college student — he just graduated this past December from my alma mater at their computer science program. I’d go out there once a year to talk to the game design students. They would do things through the Wolverine Software computer gaming club like 48-hour Game Jams. A lot of students wanted more time … [Read more...] about Gaming legend Sid Meier shows college students how its done

Simulation AI Program Develops Free Downloadable Christmas GameResearchers at Imperial College London have developed an artificially intelligent (AI) computer program that has itself designed a video game for the Christmas season. The game, called "A Puzzling Present," can be downloaded for free. In the game, Santa Claus has been sucked into a Christmas present, and it is the player's goal to help Santa collect gifts in the 30 Christmas-themed lands, which are filled with deadly holly and other obstacles. The inspiration for an AI program that could create games grew out of work at Imperial's Computational Creativity group, which aims to make computers more creative and inventive. The AI program with the tongue-in-cheek name of "A Novel Game-Evolving Labrat I've Named Angelina" or ANGELINA has developed eight games so far, which are all published on her own Web site.Michael Cook, a Ph.D. student from the Department of Computing, says: "I've played videogames my whole life. I've … [Read more...] about AI Program Develops Free Downloadable Christmas Game

Ludology or narratology?These are the two generally accepted approaches to thinking about games. Though not incompatible, these two branches of knowledge nonetheless contend for pre-eminence among video game designer priorities.The first emphasizes play, the second story. In literary theory, narratology is the study of narrative structure -- it looks to amuse, instruct or entertain, and so is designed for us to take in. Ludology is rooted in the Latin word "ludus," meaning "game." It is the academic study of games, particularly video games, it is about participation, and it is huge.Story you watch. Play you do.Game designers must understand and resolve the tension between these contending forces if they're to create successful games. The choices they make and the preferences they make manifest in their creations affect gameplay for millions of people the world over.More than 100 colleges and universities in North America -- up from fewer than a dozen five years ago -- now offer … [Read more...] about The School of Gaming, Part 1: Welcome to Ludoland

Ask anyone to describe a hardcore gamer and the image that comes to mind is probably that of a geeky, teenaged, socially awkward male who spends countless hours locked in his bedroom.The notion, however, that men alone rule the gaming realm is as outdated as the Atari 2600. Men, women and children alike have answered the call to play. While the gaming industry has long tailored its approach to gaming for young men and boys, women and girls have been largely left out."A large part of it is legacy perceptions. People have highlighted the male teenage gamer for so long they are becoming blind to other markets," Kimberly Unger, chief executive officer of Bushi-go, a mobile and handheld games developer startup, told TechNewsWorld. "It is easy, safe, fast and a guaranteed money maker to target than the 18- to 34-[year-old] audience. The female market is harder to quantify, harder to guarantee and from a business standpoint a much riskier thing to rely on." That isn't to say that no games … [Read more...] about Where Are the Video Games Women Really Want?

Part 1 of this series explored the changes taking place within the overall video game industry.The states of California, Texas, Washington, New York and Massachusetts currently have the highest number of video game jobs, according to the ESA's "Video Games in the 21st Century" report. Collectively, these areas directly employ 22,279 workers and post nearly 71 percent of the industry's total direct employment.California is home to the largest number of computer and video game personnel in the nation, accounting for approximately 41 percent of total industry employment nationwide. Entertainment software companies directly and indirectly employ nearly 53,000 Californians, providing more than US$2.6 billion in direct and indirect compensation in 2009."California's computer and video game companies make an increasingly important contribution to the state's economy and play a vital role in maintaining the strength of the entertainment software industry as a whole," said Michael D. … [Read more...] about Fast Times in Gaming, Part 2: Behind the Orange Curtain